“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” (Matthew 15:1–2 (ESV)
It was after the events Matthew recorded in chapter 14 that the events of chapter 15 occurred. The word “then” (τότε; tote) is an adverb meaning at that time, at the time in question or afterward.
“Herod Antipas is not the only Palestinian whose curiosity is piqued when he hears of Christ’s ministry (Matt. 14:1–2). Some of the religious authorities in Jerusalem also want to investigate the carpenter’s son from Nazareth. Pharisees and scribes from the capital city confront our Lord in today’s passage (15:1). These men are likely official representatives of the Pharisaic and scribal movements, both of which the common folk hold in high esteem,” explains one commentator.
Apparently Jesus was still in the Galilean region because the Pharisees and scribes came to that area from Jerusalem. As previously noted, the Pharisees were one of four particular religious or political groups in Israel during the first century. The remaining three were the Sadducees, the Zealots and the Essenes.
The Pharisees (Φαρισαῖος; Pharisaios) were the religious traditionalists. They equated their ceremonial customs as equal to, or as even greater than, the Old Testament Scriptures. The scribes (γραμματεύς; grammateus) were the expert teachers of the Old Testament Law. They were closely associated with the Pharisees.
An undetermined amount of time occurred when the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus. They initiated the contact and the conversation with the Savior. They had a persistent question for Jesus? “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
First, the question was confrontational. The Pharisees and scribes accused Jesus’ disciples of both a sin of commission and omission. The leaders criticized the disciples of breaking oral tradition by failing to wash their hands when they ate.
Second, the accusation was based on oral tradition and not the Mosaic Law. The religious leaders did not accuse the disciples of breaking the Old Testament Law, but only the tradition solely originating from the elders. The word tradition (παράδοσις; paradosis) refers to teachings that are over and above the authority of Scripture. They are extra-biblical.
Who exactly were the elders? The word elders (πρεσβύτερος; presbyteros) may refer to both a physically elderly man (Acts 2:17) or to religious and community leaders ((Matt 15:2; Ac 11:30; Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 5:17, 19; 2 John 1; 3 John 1). In this context, the latter meaning is preferred. “
“The Law of Moses required washing for cleansing from various types of ceremonial defilement, especially of priests serving at the sanctuary (Ex. 30:18-21; Lev. 22:1-7). But it did not demand washing before every meal,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“The Pharisees regarded the oral law conveyed as tradition by the elders, as having equal authority with the written law. These traditions were later complied as the Mishnah in the second century.”
The issue at hand was whether outward behavior outweighs the intentions of the heart that are in harmony with Scripture. Sometimes, churches have stipulated rules and regulations for its membership that have no basis from the Word of God. In doing so, they become legalistic in a perhaps well-intentioned effort to protect the outward purity of the church’s reputation.
How did Jesus respond? More to come when next we meet.
Soli deo Gloria!
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